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COMMUNITY

Jan 5, 2002

13 another lucky number for 'surimono' albums

By Angela Jeffs

David Bull is as insistent as he is stubborn. No sooner has he sat me down beside his workbench (the only warm room in the house), with younger daughter Fumi (16) creating a Web page on the computer on top of the "kotatsu," then he is demanding how much I know about "hanga" (woodblock prints).

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Jan 5, 2002

The trucks and bolts of perfect massage

By Amy Chavez

Anyone who has spent some time in Asia has become familiar with massage. You can get all kinds of massage here: Japanese "shiatsu," Chinese foot massage, Thai, Vietnamese and even Swedish massage. But all the different methods can be confusing. Let me set it straight for you.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Jan 5, 2002

By Vivienne Kenrick

When he was a merry little boy in Seijo in the '50s, Hiroshi Ito disliked having to practice playing the piano. As often as he could, he escaped to play outdoors with his friends. When he advanced to Meiji University, however, with the aid of an instruction book he taught himself to play the banjo. Once...

COMMUNITY

Dec 30, 2001

Getting out to see the new year in

So you want to be there to join in a great mass countdown to 2002 -- or you are determined to be one of the early birds catching sight of the Sun's first New Year rays? With so many venues vying for your bleary presence on New Year's Eve/New Year's Day, some observatories are opening their doors before...

COMMUNITY

Dec 30, 2001

Starting anew through the ages

By Victoria James

The world's most universally observed festival, New Year is also its most diverse, with timing, inspiration and celebration differing among countries, cultures and religions. For some, it is an occasion on which to give thanks for another year of survival; for others it's a vantage point from which to...

COMMUNITY

Dec 30, 2001

Simple soup serves up a year's good luck

By Rick Lapointe

From behind the big punch bowl, in the lower cupboard of the cabinet that dominates the dining room, Reiko pulls out the lacquered vessels. They are coal-black, with bright gold-and-silver images of pine boughs, bamboo stalks and plum blossoms.

COMMUNITY

Dec 30, 2001

O-Shogatsu: a custom-made holiday

By Yoko Hani

Yoshio Mamiya doesn't need reminding that o-shogatsu is almost here. For several weeks, the 78-year-old craftsman has been working 12-hour days, seven days a week at his studio in the Sanno district of Tokyo's Ota Ward, where he busily stitches away to meet his customers' demand to renew their domestic...

COMMUNITY

Dec 29, 2001

'Earthquake Bird' celebrates with Japan edition

By Angela Jeffs

Susanna Jones has had one terrific year. Her first novel, "The Earthquake Bird," was unanimously applauded by the British press when launched in May. Since then it has been snapped up for translation rights in 11 countries, including the U.S. and Japan. Plus an option has been taken up to make it into...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE

Dec 29, 2001

Tetsuya Kobayashi

By Vivienne Kenrick

Early in his career at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, when he was still on the bottom rung of the ladder, Tetsuya Kobayashi was sent to the Kamikochi Imperial Hotel. Part of his duties there were the cleaning-up operations. "I shall never forget my first experience," he said. "While I was working, I was...

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE

Dec 29, 2001

Kitchen tips for the year's leftover snake

By Amy Chavez

It's the end of the Year of the Snake and you're wondering what to do with that pet snake you bought last year to celebrate. You have just three days left to dispose of Sammy so you can make room in that aquarium for next year's animal -- the horse.

COMMUNITY

Dec 23, 2001

Jewelry collectors: guardians of a glittering past

By Mami Maruko

At first glance, the visitor would hardly guess that the austere-looking building nestled in the beautiful, green mountains of Nasu Kogen, Tochigi Prefecture, is the Akiba Museum of Antique Jewellery -- Japan's first private museum specializing in European antique jewelry.

COMMUNITY

Dec 23, 2001

Everlasting allure of gems shines on

By Damon Poeter

Gems are among the most gorgeous examples of nature at work, even though the jewels we admire get a helping hand not afforded to phenomena like sunsets and snow-capped peaks.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.

What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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